The Holy Spirit at Work in the Old Testament
Genesis 1:1-2 (Plus multiple Scriptures)
Series: God’s Spirit at Work in Our World
Sermon by: Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - March 22, 2000
*God’s Spirit is very much at work in our world, and He always has been. I found 19 works of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament.
*Note: I used a few of these as examples in the original message. All 19 works are listed below with supporting Scripture:
1. Creation...
Genesis 1:1-2
1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Job 26:13 - By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
2. Communication (messages from God)...
2 Chronicles 24:20 - Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, "Thus says God: ’Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He also has forsaken you.’ "
Ezekiel 2:2 - Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me.
Ezekiel 3:24 - Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and spoke with me and said to me: "Go, shut yourself inside your house.
Ezekiel 11:5 - Then the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said to me, "Speak! ’Thus says the LORD: "Thus you have said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind.
3. Conviction...
Genesis 6:3 - And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."
4. Courage (strength & inspiration)...
Judges 6:33-34
33. Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.
34. But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.
1 Chronicles 12:17-18
17. And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, "If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment."
18. Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: "We are yours, O David; We are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, And peace to your helpers! For your God helps you." So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.
5. Counsel (the right kind of counsel)...
Isaiah 30:1 - "Woe to the rebellious children," says the LORD, "Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin;
6. Inspiration...
Judges 13:24-25
24. So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
25. And the Spirit of the LORD began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
7. Instruction...
Nehemiah 9:20 - You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, And gave them water for their thirst.
Psalm 143:10 - Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.
8. Leadership ability...
Numbers 27:18-20
18. And the LORD said to Moses: "Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;
19. set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight.
20. And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.
Judges 3:9-10
9. When the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
10. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim.
1 Sam 16:13 - Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
9. Life...
Job 33:4 - The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
10. Power (Both physical & spiritual)...
(Physical Power)
Judges 14:6 - And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.
Judges 14:19 - Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house.
Judges 15:14 - When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands.
(Spiritual Power)
Micah 3:7-8
7. So the seers shall be ashamed, And the diviners abashed; Indeed they shall all cover their lips; For there is no answer from God."
8. But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, And of justice and might, To declare to Jacob his transgression And to Israel his sin.
11. Presence of God...
Haggai 2:4-5
4. Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the LORD; ’and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the LORD, ’and work; for I am with you,’ says the LORD of hosts.
5. ’According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’
12. Prophecy (The spoken and written Word of God)...
Numbers 11:25-29
25. Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.
26. But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp.
27. And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."
28. So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, "Moses my lord, forbid them!"
29. Then Moses said to him, "Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!"
Numbers 24:2-5
2. And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.
3. Then he took up his oracle and said: "The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, The utterance of the man whose eyes are opened,
4. The utterance of him who hears the words of God, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Who falls down, with eyes wide open:
5. "How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel!
1 Samuel 10:5-6 (Samuel speaking to Saul)
5. After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying.
6. Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.
1 Samuel 19:20-24
20. Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
21. And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. Then Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.
22. Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is at Sechu. So he asked, and said, "Where are Samuel and David?" And someone said, "Indeed they are at Naioth in Ramah."
23. So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24. And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"
2 Samuel 23:1-2
1. Now these are the last words of David. Thus says David the son of Jesse; Thus says the man raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel:
2. The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue.
Nehemiah 9:30-31
30. Yet for many years You had patience with them, And testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets. Yet they would not listen; Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
31. Nevertheless in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them; For You are God, gracious and merciful.
Zechariah 7:12 - Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.
*This Old Testament prophetic work of the Holy Spirit is clearly confirmed in the New Testament:
Acts 1:15-20
15. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said,
16. "Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;
17. for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry."
18. (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out.
19. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20. "For it is written in the Book of Psalms: ’LET HIS DWELLING PLACE BE DESOLATE, AND LET NO ONE LIVE IN IT’; and, ’LET ANOTHER TAKE HIS OFFICE.’
Acts 28:24-27
24. And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.
25. So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers,
26. saying, ’GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY: "HEARING YOU WILL HEAR, AND SHALL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND SEEING YOU WILL SEE, AND NOT PERCEIVE;
27. FOR THE HEARTS OF THIS PEOPLE HAVE GROWN DULL. THEIR EARS ARE HARD OF HEARING, AND THEIR EYES THEY HAVE CLOSED, LEST THEY SHOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, LEST THEY SHOULD UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEARTS AND TURN, SO THAT I SHOULD HEAL THEM."’
1 Peter 1:10-12
10. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
11. searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
12. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.
13. Rest...
Isaiah 63:14 - As a beast goes down into the valley, And the Spirit of the LORD causes him to rest, So You lead Your people, To make Yourself a glorious name.
14. Skill...
Exodus 31:2-5
2. "See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
3. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
4. to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze,
5. in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.
(Also see Exodus 35:30-35)
15. Support (Spiritual support)...
Psalm 51:12 - Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
16. Transportation (miraculous transportation)...
1 Kings 18:12 - And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth.
2 Kings 2:16 - Then they said to him, "Look now, there are fifty strong men with your servants. Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley." And he said, "You shall not send anyone."
Ezekiel 3:12-14
12. Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: "Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!"
13. I also heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise.
14. So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.
Ezekiel 8:3 - He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy.
Ezekiel 11:1 - Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the East Gate of the LORD’s house, which faces eastward; and there at the door of the gate were twenty-five men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
Ezekiel 11:24 - Then the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to those in captivity. And the vision that I had seen went up from me.
Ezekiel 37:1 - The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.
Ezekiel 43:5 - The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
17. Victory (success, accomplishment)...
Zechariah 4:6 - So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ’Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.
18. Wisdom...
Genesis 41:38 - And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?"
Daniel 4:8-9
8. But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying:
9. "Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.
Daniel 4:18 - "This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you."
Daniel 5:11-14
11. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers.
12. Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation."
13. Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah?
14. I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.
19. Zeal...
1 Samuel 11:6 - Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused.
